As tradition has it, I seem to always be on a trip a week or two prior to my exam (that time I was at surgery department doing my clinical rotation). During the last weekend of May, I and my family went to Manado,the charming little town on the northern tip of the Island of Celebes. I tought I was sort of on the verge of a discovery since I had never really imagined much of this island. What a shame! But on the whole it’s not solely my fault. Blame it on the government (particularly the Ministry of Tourism and Culture) for not doing their best to promote this forgotten island. They do need to more intensively promote it. Where were we ha ha? So this town was not well-depicted in my mind until my airplane (I flew with Sriwijaya Air with its infamous service and its fake-smiling flight attendants oops ;) touched the runway of Sam Ratulangi Airport of Manado. This airport is factually named after the famous hero of North Celebes. And trust me this airport is only “international” in name. I could hardly see any foreign aircraft fleets or local air companies with international routes parked in it. The only sign of its international sense was probably the presence of gangway (garbarata: Ind). O c’mon.
We arrived there by midday so it was already time for Friday prayer. So I went to a local mosque not far from the airport. What??? A mosque in a province where more than 80% of the population claims to be the followers of Jesus??? Yeap, Islam does flourish and thrive here guys thanks to the Dutch for choosing Manado as an exile for Kyai Mojo and the gang. It must have been a perfect getaway for ‘em he he.
My Very First Encounter with the Sinful Crabs
We went straight to a local restaurant (I forgot the name unfortunately) to taste some local specialties. The tables and the utensils were all set, but hey where were the food? I was about to learn another uniqueness of Manadonese when serving the meals. First they brought out the rice, the chili sauce aka sambal, then they served the dishes. So we cheerfully helped ourselves to a big scoop of rice and all we saw on the table. What a delicacy! Manadonese foods are obviously the biggest rival of Padang food ha ha. We ate and ate til our tummy reached its maximum extent. But voila then came other delicacies which were supposed to be the main course, so what we all just had was seemingly the starter. What?? So instead of letting them go untouched we had our second round of meal. My eyes caught the sight of the animal of my star sign aka crabs. I was rather doubtful to give it a try since I’d never ever tasted it in my whole life. But the look and the smell simply mesmerized me. Then those poor big crabs cooked with coconut milk and exotic herbs found their way into my mouth ha ha. I was in ecstasy then…;)
Lake of Tondano
C’est passé. Caught nothing interesting here.
Fantastic Splurge Hotel
Last year Manado hosted the World Oceanic Conference (or whatever..) in an attempt to boast its tourism potentials. But the city was rather lack of all kinds of travel itinerary, including the accommodation. So as for preparation, the local authority felt the urge to upgrade some hotels. I was lucky to get the chance to stay in a five star hotel, the only one of its kind in Manado, called Sintesa Peninsula Hotel. The hotel was conveniently located in the heart of the town, sitting high in a green and lush hill. Just perfect! I regarded it as a privilege. The room was all great and convenient, had double beds, clean bathroom, big flat screen tv, elegant working table, free internet access, cool paintings, and wooden floor (though it’s artificial I guess). From the balcony one got a spectacular view of Manado Bay dotted with a few islets and their summits afar. Breathtaking!
Bunaken
The next morning we set sail to the famous Bunaken Islands, a cluster of islets some 10 miles away from the quay. Manado is truly surrounded by hills and wilderness, so a boat trip to Bunaken would make a great escape. The weather was perfect, cloudless and the sea was so blue, so crystal clear though one might spot the floating garbage on the surface of the water along the track to Bunaken. How annoying! But that just wouldn’t stop us to keep on sailing he he. A moment before we anchored, the captain made a stop to show us the underwater panorama through the glass that penetrated down the sea. Frankly speaking, Bunaken is not a perfect spot for those unable to swim, just like me, cuz I believe that the coral reefs and the coral fishes can only be appreciated only when you dive. The Bunaken Island itself didn’t match my expectation. I thought there would be a vibrant kind of living on the island just like what I formerly saw on Gili Islands of Lombok. Pretty a discouragement! So lame and boring. But there was a restaurant serving great dishes that was a relief to me he he. We tried to avoid eating any kinds of flesh, but the fish or seafood during our trip to Manado for halal reason. The restaurant was called Nelson and owned by a lady from Moluccas I believe (due to their physical appearance). The dishes were ALL great, best-tasting food I’d ever tried in the whole universe. I did like the chili sauce called dabu-dabu and the other one I didn’t recognize which was even more exotic. The chopped shallots, fresh tomatoes, lemon water, the shrimp paste (just to name a few) turned out to be a beautiful combination. They were a piece of heaven he he. But did u know guys that Manadonese do eat the sweet fried banana with dabu-dabu? A lethal combination ha ha. That was all, I just could hardly wait to return to Manado.
Impression
Manado is so easy to fall in love with. The people love parties and seem to enjoy every single day of their life. Life is celebrated here!! One will get the chance to learn that it’s very possible to live in harmony with nature or probably with your neighbors with different religions. The Manadonese or Minahasans love helping each other, they won’t hesitate to help their neighbors who are helplessly in need which is already a scarce thing among Javanese society. I learned not to be an ignorant, that we need to participate in the social life by sharing what you have more, to be more passionate about life , and not to forget that our ancestors were great and skillful seafarers he he. Til we meet again Manado!!
We arrived there by midday so it was already time for Friday prayer. So I went to a local mosque not far from the airport. What??? A mosque in a province where more than 80% of the population claims to be the followers of Jesus??? Yeap, Islam does flourish and thrive here guys thanks to the Dutch for choosing Manado as an exile for Kyai Mojo and the gang. It must have been a perfect getaway for ‘em he he.
My Very First Encounter with the Sinful Crabs
We went straight to a local restaurant (I forgot the name unfortunately) to taste some local specialties. The tables and the utensils were all set, but hey where were the food? I was about to learn another uniqueness of Manadonese when serving the meals. First they brought out the rice, the chili sauce aka sambal, then they served the dishes. So we cheerfully helped ourselves to a big scoop of rice and all we saw on the table. What a delicacy! Manadonese foods are obviously the biggest rival of Padang food ha ha. We ate and ate til our tummy reached its maximum extent. But voila then came other delicacies which were supposed to be the main course, so what we all just had was seemingly the starter. What?? So instead of letting them go untouched we had our second round of meal. My eyes caught the sight of the animal of my star sign aka crabs. I was rather doubtful to give it a try since I’d never ever tasted it in my whole life. But the look and the smell simply mesmerized me. Then those poor big crabs cooked with coconut milk and exotic herbs found their way into my mouth ha ha. I was in ecstasy then…;)
Lake of Tondano
C’est passé. Caught nothing interesting here.
Fantastic Splurge Hotel
Last year Manado hosted the World Oceanic Conference (or whatever..) in an attempt to boast its tourism potentials. But the city was rather lack of all kinds of travel itinerary, including the accommodation. So as for preparation, the local authority felt the urge to upgrade some hotels. I was lucky to get the chance to stay in a five star hotel, the only one of its kind in Manado, called Sintesa Peninsula Hotel. The hotel was conveniently located in the heart of the town, sitting high in a green and lush hill. Just perfect! I regarded it as a privilege. The room was all great and convenient, had double beds, clean bathroom, big flat screen tv, elegant working table, free internet access, cool paintings, and wooden floor (though it’s artificial I guess). From the balcony one got a spectacular view of Manado Bay dotted with a few islets and their summits afar. Breathtaking!
Bunaken
The next morning we set sail to the famous Bunaken Islands, a cluster of islets some 10 miles away from the quay. Manado is truly surrounded by hills and wilderness, so a boat trip to Bunaken would make a great escape. The weather was perfect, cloudless and the sea was so blue, so crystal clear though one might spot the floating garbage on the surface of the water along the track to Bunaken. How annoying! But that just wouldn’t stop us to keep on sailing he he. A moment before we anchored, the captain made a stop to show us the underwater panorama through the glass that penetrated down the sea. Frankly speaking, Bunaken is not a perfect spot for those unable to swim, just like me, cuz I believe that the coral reefs and the coral fishes can only be appreciated only when you dive. The Bunaken Island itself didn’t match my expectation. I thought there would be a vibrant kind of living on the island just like what I formerly saw on Gili Islands of Lombok. Pretty a discouragement! So lame and boring. But there was a restaurant serving great dishes that was a relief to me he he. We tried to avoid eating any kinds of flesh, but the fish or seafood during our trip to Manado for halal reason. The restaurant was called Nelson and owned by a lady from Moluccas I believe (due to their physical appearance). The dishes were ALL great, best-tasting food I’d ever tried in the whole universe. I did like the chili sauce called dabu-dabu and the other one I didn’t recognize which was even more exotic. The chopped shallots, fresh tomatoes, lemon water, the shrimp paste (just to name a few) turned out to be a beautiful combination. They were a piece of heaven he he. But did u know guys that Manadonese do eat the sweet fried banana with dabu-dabu? A lethal combination ha ha. That was all, I just could hardly wait to return to Manado.
Impression
Manado is so easy to fall in love with. The people love parties and seem to enjoy every single day of their life. Life is celebrated here!! One will get the chance to learn that it’s very possible to live in harmony with nature or probably with your neighbors with different religions. The Manadonese or Minahasans love helping each other, they won’t hesitate to help their neighbors who are helplessly in need which is already a scarce thing among Javanese society. I learned not to be an ignorant, that we need to participate in the social life by sharing what you have more, to be more passionate about life , and not to forget that our ancestors were great and skillful seafarers he he. Til we meet again Manado!!
